The line between professional and amateur journalism has blurred in modern media. As a result, “pro-am” relationships have emerged among news organizations. The line between newsrooms and business offices has also blurred. Some media outlets collaborate with non-profit organizations while others are for-profit. The following article explores the characteristics of newsworthy content.
Crime and money make news
Crimes that involve money or people who are known for breaking the law usually make the news more than crimes that do not involve money. A simple theft may not be newsworthy in a big city, but it is probably the top story of the week in a small town. Many of the locals may even know the owner of the car that has been stolen. Similarly, a fraud case involving a politician or public figure will get more attention than an ordinary theft.
Exclusivity
Exclusivity in news is an important part of the news dissemination process. It is also essential for the public’s right to know what’s being reported. The right to know what’s being reported should not be based on the monopoly of a publisher.
Shareability
The shareability of news is a key measure of the impact of a news story. A story that is shared by many people will often receive more attention than one that has no impact. For instance, a story about a country’s latest coup may receive more attention than one containing scandalous details. However, an article about a celebrity is unlikely to be shared by many readers. That is why professional journalists spend a lot of time collecting all the facts and relating the entire story.
Public interest
The public interest in news is an important test that journalists must apply when determining whether or not a story is newsworthy. It is important to remember that there are many factors that fall outside of the public interest test, but if journalists can get it right, they will be fulfilling the highest purpose of journalism.
Positive overtones
A new study has found that subjective news reporting affects news consumers in the short term. The findings show that news consumers are conditioned to agree or disagree with the media’s perspective. A large proportion of them develop prejudiced views as a result.
Extensiveness
The importance of comprehensiveness in news reporting cannot be underestimated. In the age of big data, citizens are bombarded with increasingly diverse streams of information. The responsibility of news providers is to filter and verify this information.
Credibility
Credibility of news can be a tricky concept, and it can influence how we interpret and evaluate different kinds of news. For instance, in a study on the credibility of news, researchers found that participants rated news articles differently based on whether they had been published by a credible or a less-credible source. The participants were also given a cognitive reflection test to measure their ability to evaluate information.